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Assignment NTA | Attend the UMA Expo –
For Free!

September 28, 2010

Volume 30, Issue 39

travel for less2 

Interested in advertising in Tuesday? E-mail Kelley Burchell at kelley.burchell@NTAstaff.com.

Today’s Articles
Assignment NTA
Attend the UMA Expo — For Free!
Tour Operators: Implement Sustainable Practices with FREE Tool
Sept. 29 Webinar Provides Insight of UK Business Inbound to the U.S.
Airfare is Covered for 1st 10 Operators Who Register for Mundo Maya Fair
Calling all Tourism Cares Scholarship Alumni
Travel Up All Around, U.S. Inbound and Outbound Numbers on the Rise
Get the Convention 411 in the October Courier
December Courier — Last Chance for Promotion in the No. 1 Valued Travel Trade Pub
Explore the Balkans at the ATS Fall Conference
Industry News and Updates


Assignment NTA

Steve Hartman, correspondent for The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric ("Assignment America"), will open Convention ’10 in Montreal.

Hartman is best known for his series of news reports, "Everybody Has a Story," which begin with him throwing a dart at a map of the United States, then traveling to the pierced location to interview someone he chooses randomly from the local phonebook. That series — which  has just expanded to "Everybody in the World Has a Story," sending him around the globe — has earned him several major journalism awards, including an Emmy, a Columbia Journalism DuPont award, and four Edward R. Murrow awards.

Here’s an example:

Steve Hartman

His pieces are witty and heartfelt, but most of all they are a testament to how similar we all are (no matter where we live in the world) and the importance of traveling to experience our similarities.

"No two stories have been alike, but I think they all share the same underlying message," Hartman said. "When you set aside religious, political, and cultural differences — and get to the core of what matters most to people — you always find commonality."

"Those who work in the travel industry have a unique opportunity, not just to show people the planet, but to change it," he continued. "The best way to achieve peace and tolerance is to get people out of their own little worlds and into the great big one. People need to meet the people they think they hate. They need to meet the strangers who are just like them."

Will Steve point at you and ask you to share your story with him? Join us at the Opening Ceremony in Montreal and find out!

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Attend the UMA Expo — for Free!

UMA logoYour registration fee to Convention ‘10 includes registration to the UMA Expo — an important opportunity to connect with UMA members now, before the UMA-NTA co-located show in 2013. Fill out this form to register today for UMA.

UMA President and CEO Victor Parra personally invites NTA members to join him in Tampa, Florida, Jan. 19-23, 2011: "Come and learn the ins and outs of the motorcoach industry and become familiar with the one piece of equipment we all rely on to make a tour successful — a motorcoach."

UMA members are also invited to participate at Convention ’10 in Montreal.

NTA brings together the people, the products and the markets that build and expand the North American travel industry. UMA is part of that equation.

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Tour Operators: Implement Sustainable Practices with FREE Tool

08greengraphicforWEBThe Tour Operators Guide to Sustainable Tourism is online and free to NTA member tour operators. Created by NTA strategic partner and sustainability experts Sustainable Travel International, the guide is designed for tour operators of all sizes and business models. It provides the information and resources you need to take the first steps toward sustainability or to improve your existing approach.

The comprehensive guide addresses the unique needs of tour operators and provides useful tips on how to measure and manage your business’ impact. Best practices are identified, and information is organized by topic, to give you a broader view of all the ways tour operators impact the people and places they visit. The topics covered in this guide include supply chain management, energy, air, waste, water, community, conservation and corporate philanthropy.

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Sept. 29 Webinar Provides Insight of UK Business Inbound to the U.S.

Act now to register for a Sept. 29 Webinar focusing on the United Kingdom, the largest overseas market for U.S. inbound travel and tourism services. Set for 11 a.m. EDT (8 a.m. PDT), the Webinar is only $50 and will cover international arrivals from the UK, destinations most visited, spending patterns, and will analyze trends from this very important market. The program will highlight critical data from the Office of Travel & Tourism Industries and market intelligence from the U.S. Commercial Service offices in London. Participants will get a better understanding of the markets from 2009 and some expected trends for the future.

2011 MONTAGE logoThe Webinar can help prepare you for NTA’s 2011 MONTAGE, which will be held in Aberdeen, Scotland, April 12-14. To register for the Webinar, please visit this Web page.

The Webinar is hosted by the U.S. Department of Commerce, OTTI with the Commercial Service Travel & Tourism Team. For more information contact Anastasia.Xenias@trade.gov, Julie.Heizer@trade.gov, or Stewart.Gough@trade.gov.

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Airfare Is Covered for 1st 10 Operators Who Register for Mundo Maya Fair

Tulum, Quintana Roo, MexicoBuyers who specialize in Mexico and specifically the Mundo Maya region will want to be one of the first 10 to register for the upcoming Mundo Maya Tourist Fair, Oct. 17 and 18 in Mérida, Yucatán. You will receive airfare from the U.S. or Canada, and even if you are not one of the first 10, you still receive free registration, three nights accommodations, Fam trips and more.

To take advantage of this free airfare opportunity, please send your request to newyork@visitmexico.com.

During the marketplace tour operators will be able to meet with hotels, ground operators, airlines, archaeological tourism experts, and other suppliers specializing in nature, culture, incentives travel and more. The agenda also includes networking social events and seminars so you can make new contacts, get to know recent market trends and promote business development.

For further information or to register for the Mundo Maya Tourist Fair, supported by the Mexico Tourism Board in conjunction with Campeche, Chiapas, Quintana Roo, Tabasco and Yucatán, see http://feriamundomaya.com/en.

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Calling All Tourism Cares Scholarship Alumni!

Tourism CaresTourism Cares has created a new alumni network to make it easier for past scholarship recipients to stay in touch. If you obtained a scholarship through Tourism Cares (previously the National Tourism Foundation), the American Society of Travel Agents or the International Airlines Travel Agents Network, you’ll want to become a part of the Tourism Cares Scholarship Alumni Network.

Through the Alumni Network, Tourism Cares will seek current contact information and education/career updates from past recipients. In turn, the Alumni Network will help alumni connect with each other in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry. Members of the network will receive Tourism Cares’ e-newsletters as well as invitations to events, such as the acclaimed Tourism Cares for America volunteer projects, which offer great professional networking opportunities. Alumni also will be notified of new scholarship offerings to promote at their college or university, or to inform friends, family or colleagues studying travel, tourism and hospitality.

If you are interested in participating in the Alumni Network or if you know someone who should, please send an e-mail to Dorota Rudnik, grants and scholarships assistant.

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Travel Up All Around, U.S. Inbound and Outbound Numbers on the Rise

The U.S. Department of Commerce announced that U.S. outbound non-stop air passenger traffic reached 4.4 million in June, increasing 11 percent compared to June 2009 and registering the sixth month over month increase since December 2009. All outbound markets posted increases in passenger departures. Six of the eight overseas regions experienced double-digit growth rates, as well as U.S. air departures to Mexico. Oceania and the Middle East region experienced the strongest growth at 34 and 24 percent, respectively.

In the first six months of 2010, outbound air traffic increased 5 percent when compared to the same period in 2009, reaching 19.5 million. Positive growth occurred in six of the eight overseas regions, with Oceania, the Middle East, Africa and Asia posting double-digit increases. Outbound travel to Mexico was up eight percent. Travel also increased to Canada, up six percent in the first six months of the year.

The U.S. Dept. of Commerce also shared new promising numbers marking the third consecutive month of double-digit growth in international tourism spending in the U.S. International visitors spent an estimated $11.4 billion on travel to, and tourism-related activities within, the United States during the month of July-$1.5 billion more (16 percent) than was spent in July 2009-marking the seventh consecutive month of growth in U.S. travel and tourism exports. International visitor spending in the United States increased an average of $927 million a month in 2010.

International visitors have spent an estimated $76.5 billion on U.S. travel and tourism-related goods and services since the beginning of the year, an increase of 9 percent compared to the same period last year.

Manufacturing and Services’ Office of Travel and Tourism Industries collects, analyzes and disseminates international travel and tourism statistics for the U.S. Travel and Tourism Statistical System. For more detailed information on the U.S. international travel abroad research program, please visit: http://tinet.ita.doc.gov/research/programs/i92/index.html.

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Get the Convention 411 in the October Courier October 2010 Courier

October issue of Courier is an issue with a mission: provide you with everything you need to make your Convention ’10 experience an absolute success. Sprinkled throughout, there is advice for everyone, from first-timers to veterans, and there are pages and pages of specifics about the business, networking and truly fun aspects of NTA’s biggest Business Builder of the year. The What You Need to Know section provides information on the nuts and bolts of the Convention business sessions, while the What’s On section offers a look at the social and entertainment side of your Montréal experience. The October issue also includes destination stories on the U.S. Great Plains states, London and Paris, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.

Advertisers in this issue:

Angstrom Graphics | Buca di Beppo | Capital One Merchant Services | Casa Loma-Toronto’s Castle | Colorado Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau | Empire State Building | Maid of the Mist | Mt. Washington Railway Company | Myrtle Beach Area CVB | Nascar Hall of Fame | New York City Ballet | Rapid City Convention & Visitors Bureau | The Berkely Group (TPP) | Tulalip Resort Casino & Spa | Visit Lubbock, the Convention & Visitors Bureau | Yankee Candle Company, Inc.

Upcoming Deadlines: 

January Issue

Ad Space: October 28
Editorial: October 5th
Sightseeing Cruises; Cruise Ships; Great Lakes Loop (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Ontario & Wisconsin); British Isles & Ireland; Alaska; California; Nevada; Oregon; Washington. 

February Issue (NTA’s 60th Anniversary Issue)

Ad Space: November 24
Editorial: November 1
Casino’s and Gaming; Alberta, Manitoba & Saskatchewan; Idaho; Montana; North Dakota; Wyoming; Atlantic Coast (FL, GA, NC, SC, VA); US Territories.

March Issue

Ad Space: January 5th
Editorial: December 6th
Accommodations; Arizona; Colorado; New Mexico; Utah; Branson; Africa; Mediterranean; Toronto & Niagara Region (New York and Canada). 

Please click here to view the 2010 Editorial Calendar online.

Please click here to view the 2011 Editorial Calendar online.

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December Courier — Last Chance for Promotion in the No. 1 Valued Travel Trade Pub

NTA tour operators consistently rank Courier as the No. 1 valued travel trade publication. And, on average, NTA’s 1,500 tour operators pass Courier on to an additional 3.3 people. That means each issue has a readership of close to 5,000 tour operators. Are you reaching them? You can. Advertise in NTA’s December issue of Courier magazine.

The December issue will feature The Rockies, Smoky Mountains, Latin America, gay/lesbian friendly destinations and 2010 Convention Coverage. There’s no better way to reach these travel buyers as they plan than by advertising in NTA’s Courier magazine.

To participate contact us at advertising@NTAstaff.com or 800.682.8886, ext. 3533 or +1.859.219.3533. Material deadline is October 13.  

We look forward to helping you reach your target audience! 

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Explore The Balkans at the ATS Fall Conference

The American Tourism Society invites NTA tour operators to join them for their 2010 Fall Conference, Oct. 25-29, in Kosovo. After the conference, attendees will have the chance to add a post tour to Albania, Oct. 29-31 and be among the first to visit this transformational region.

The National Geographic Traveler calls the Balkans the Land of Discovery. With its world-class scenery, mountains that rival the Alps, and family-owned bed and breakfast hotels offering traditional cuisine, Kosovo is a new and fascinating place to visit. Through the ATS Fall Conference, you can be one of the first to sample all this emerging destination has to offer.

Read all about the region in the National Geographic Traveler and register for the ATS Fall Conference now to start your education and product planning on this incredible destination.

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Industry News and Updates

The links in this article are not monitored by NTA staff. Any bad links, expired pages, etc. are due to the constantly changing nature of Web sites. 

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